Category Archives: Camping and Hiking

Of all the topics I’ve written about on The Vintage Traveler, the one that generates the most email is that of summer camps. As I’ve written before, my area was famous for its summer camps, most of which are long closed. One that seems to universally generate fond memories is Camp Dellwood. Camp Dellwood was founded in 1926, and sometime later an adjoining camp, Hemlock, was added for boys. It closed in 1973.

I can remember riding by the camp as a child, as it sat right off the road that we took to travel to my father’s family in the far western part of North Carolina. I was always envious of the girls riding horses in the riding rink. The archery targets were set up there as well.

I received these photos from Carol Hastings Sanders, who attended the six-week sessions of Camp Dellwood in 1954, 1955, 1959, and 1960. She used these pictures, as well as dozens of her own photos and some 16mm movies, to make a 30-minute video, “Going Away to Summer Camp,” with a voiceover describing camp life. She made it to share with her family and friends, and would be happy to share it with any former campers who are interested.

These photos come from a promotional brochure that Carol says was given out in 1960. Many of the photos are older though, as they tended to use the same photos year after year.

I’d love to hear from any Camp Dellwood or Hemlock campers, and if you are interested in Carol’s video I can get her contact information to you.

I’m sure this is a creek or spring fed lake, and I just imagine how cold that water was, even in July!

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I thought that with all the talk about knickers and hiking clothes that you might want to see examples from my collection. The set above is a matching linen vest and knickers. There is a very similar set in a 1925 B. Altman& Company catalog which shows the vest and knickers paired with a blouse, plain wool cloche, knee socks and brogan shoes. I was lucky enough to find a similar blouse which I’m showing here.

The vest has no closure except for the belt that buttons below the waist. The knickers button on both sides.

I’ve seen this “The Fad of the Hour” in other knickers from the 1920s. In looking through my catalogs and magazines I first saw knickers for women in a 1919 catalog, and their last appearance was in 1929. That’s a pretty long lasting fad!

And just because I love this detail, here is the two button closure on the leg band.

Here is another pair, this time in black and white linen tweed. Note how they button on both sides of the waist.

There are pockets on both sides as well.

Just for fun I paired these with a late 1920s sweater. This one has a Marshall Field’s label, but I’ve seen this style in catalogs such as Sears from the late 1920s.

This is an odd cross between a middy and a blouse, but seeing as how it is made from cotton duck, I can safely say the intended use was for outings such as hiking and camping. The bottom band actually folds up and buttons (that’s the exposed seam you can see). I’ve seen ads for middies that proclaimed their superiority because they did not fasten at the bottom.

These unworn 1920s knee socks were a very lucky find, from Carol at Dandelion Vintage. Best of all, both pairs are unworn.

Just like in the photos I shared earlier, the decorative tops of the socks were worn over the bottom band of the knickers.

And for the feet, a pair of Walkover brogans.

Topped off with a plain wool cloche, our hiker is now properly attired and ready to walk.

When collecting, I like to think of the entire ensemble. To me it is just so interesting to see how women actually wore their clothes, and to be able to assemble all the pieces that was necessary for a look. As another collector once said, “It’s not just about the frocks.”

I recently found this catalog from the W.C. Russell Moccasin Company of Berlin, Wisconsin. I was pleasantly surprised to open it and find that Russell Moccasins were not just for men.

Click to enlarge

The first pages show both men and women out in the wild, enjoying their Russell boots. By the looks of the clothing and hair styles, my guess is that most of these were taken in the 1920s and early 1930s. There is no date to be found in the catalog, but the front cover illustration looks to be more like a late 1930s or even a 1940s style. Another hint is that the catalog reads that the company has been in business for over a quarter of a century. Since it was founded in 1898, I know that is later than 1924.

The last clue is the style of the shoes. These look to be late 1930s, or 1940s. The trouble with sports clothing and shoes is that while fashion is considered, the styles are a bit more constant than a fashion garment or shoe. But still, I’m leaning toward late 1930s for a date on the catalog.

This boot was a favorite for hiking and camping. I’ve seen ads for very similar ones as early as 1922. I have a pair in my collection from Abercrombie & Fitch, the famous outfitters for adventurers.

Click to better see the moviegram

I thought this “moviegram” showing moccasin construction was very interesting. And just because I love them so much, here are better views of some of the women campers.

I look at a lot of old images, read a lot of vintage magazines and watch classic movies. To my modern sensibilities, sometimes the things I encounter are disquieting. The way people thought about race relations, animal rights, and the status of women can be vastly different from the way I look at these issues.

Right now I’m slowily reading my way through every issue of Life magazine, thanks to Google Books. To be honest, I’ve been shocked at the language used when referring to people of different races. Words that today we think are used only by ignorant racists were used freely in a national magazine. Especially in advertising, women are portrayed as being glorified house maids, being concerned with trivial domestic problems while the man of the house works to support her. There are photos of hunters surrounded by dead animals, in which sport hunting is glorified.

When I encounter such a disturbing image or passage, my mind has to remind my sensibilities that this was almost 80 years ago, and today at least people are aware of these issues and are working toward solving the injustices of life. I don’t have to like what I’m seeing, but I have learned to put it in the past where it belongs. Sometimes I think history lovers tend to over-glorify the past. I love the images of the women I’ve posted here, and frankly have thought about what a great time it must have been. I’m glad that the photos do not contain images of dead animals, which they very well could have seeing that they are, after all, in the woods and probably hunting.

Which brings me to the present. I was really surprised to learn that the W.R. Russell Company is still in business, still producing boots in Berlin, Wisconsin. I was all ready to link to their site when I encountered a page where customers are pictured wearing their boots, surrounded by their prey. It was like it was 1933 and these guys were big game hunters in darkest Africa.

I live in an area of the country where hunting is still accepted. Cars sport bumper stickers like “Hunt with your kid, not hunt for him.” I realize that some people do still hunt for their food, and I know that hunting does help control animal over-population. However, I cannot understand why any website that is trying to sell shoes in the 21st century would feature photos of great-white-hunter wannabes. I respect the heritage of hunting. It is how our ancestors survived. But I do not understand gratuitous killing just to make the killer look manly.

My point here is not to bash hunters. My grandfather was a “fox hunter.” I put that in quotes because in his case being a hunter meant that he and his buddies liked to dress in red buffalo check jackets, go camping, and let their hounds run loose. My point is that we need to remember the past and to honor it. But there are some things about the past that need to stay there.

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I read a notice about a “summer camp fair” where parents can go and talk to representatives from all the area camps. It seems a bit odd considering that almost all the clientele of these camps are flat-landers. But anyway it reminded me of some pages from a photo album that I bought several years ago.

The photos were of a group of Camp Fire Girls, and there was also a printed article about their time camping and hiking in Western North Carolina. Also included was a little song or chant:

I sort of assumed that the name of the camp was Glenn-Lowry, but I’d never heard of a camp by that name in this region, and a search turned up nothing. In reading the article it mentioned “Whitmire girls” and that is where I got lucky. As it turns out, these girls were from Whitmire, South Carolina, and they were all associated with the Glenn-Lowry Mill that was located there.

The idea of camping as recreation in the US arose a generation or so after people who were pioneers and moving into new territory pretty much had to spend their traveling nights camping. What had once been a hardship was now thought to be a fun way to escape the city and modern life. In many ways it was a pursuit for the middle class and the wealthy, as the poor factory workers had neither the time nor the money for extended leisure.

But things were different in some mill towns, and it seems that Whitmire was one of the lucky ones. The wife of the owner, Evelyn Coleman who was from Asheville, worked to develop educational and recreational resources for the workers and their families. The company ran a YMCA, a bowling alley, and a skating rink. There were baseball teams and clubs for the kids and for the mothers. And in the early years, there was a group of Camp Fire Girls.

On this occasion, the girls were camping at Camp Minnehaha, which is located about ten miles southeast of Asheville, near the little town of Batcave. From there they traveled around the region, taking day hikes to some of the most popular spots – Mount Pisgah, Chimney Rock and Blowing Rock. It must have been a very big adventure for girls living in a small South Carolina cotton mill town.

Von Lengerke & Antoine was the less famous branch of Abercrombie & Fitch. Located in Chicago, it has a colorful history that includes Al Capone, but it was overshadowed by the company that acquired it in 1928, A&F. Still, it was one of the great 20th century sporting goods stores and their catalogs are a delight for people (like me) who love vintage sportswear.

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The Girl Scouts of America celebrated their 100th birthday yesterday. I celebrated by looking through this 1933 handbook that I found the the Goodwill Store a few weeks ago. It’s a fascinating look at how scouting and the education of girls has changed. The book contains not just the guide to the outdoors that one might expect, but also such topics as “The Girl Scout Homemaker” and “Taking Care of Younger Children.”

When I was about ten, my greatest ambition in life was to be a Girl Scout. Unfortunately for me, our community did not have a troop. One day the rumor started going around school that a troop was forming at the church that was located next to my school. There was to be a meeting on a certain day, and all the girls could join up. On the appointed day, a group of girls gathered at the church, eagerly awaiting the Girls Scout Leader, for for some odd reason, no one showed up. Looking back, I’m pretty sure that I was the one that started the rumor, as though I could somehow will my wish into being!

Years later I finally did become a Girl Scout, as a co-leader with a friend of mine. I am positive it would have been more fun at ten than it was at 35!

All illustrations are from the 1933 edition of the Girl Scout Handbook

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As a collector of women’s sportswear, I’ve been very tempted to veer into the vintage sports equipment world. A canvas golf bag with a few hickory shaft clubs would look great with that vintage golfing frock, wouldn’t it? Or how about a nice pair of ice skates to go with the 1940s skating dress?

Thankfully, common sense continues to prevail here. As of yet the only real equipment pieces I have are a pair of 1940s roller skates that were a gift, and my own 1970s tennis racket.

But I did love seeing this vintage backpack. I know absolutely nothing about it, but I did find this old blog post in which a lot of people sang the praises of the Trapper Nelson. Hopefully someone will stumble by with some information.

According to the seller’s tag, this Pioneer Brand Trapper Nelson Indian Pack Board by the Jones Tent and Awning Company of Vancouver, dates from the 1920s. Since this is a #3, it is possibly newer than that, as these were made for a very long time. It was priced at a healthy $125, and I have no idea if that is a good or a bad price. I do know that old canvas bags are currently in vogue, due partly to exposure in certain blogs that love that heritage, “authentic” look.

And speaking of which, in the past year I’ve noticed that flea market and antique booths are getting darker. I mean that literally, as the omnipresent white painted shabby look seems to be waning. Considering that Shabby Chic by Rachel Ashwell was published in 1996, and by that time the look was already quite popular, I’d say it’s time to move on. But what the heck will happen to all that white painted furniture?